Window provision-holder.



A. W. SUTHERLAND. WINDOW PROVISION HOLDER.

rrmonmu IILED 00111, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

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A. W. SUTHERLAND.

WINDOW PROVISION HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.11, 1909.

966,266. Patented Aug.2,1910.

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ALFRED W. SU'IHERLAND, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

WINDOW PROVISION-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

Application filed October 11, 1909. Serial No. 522,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. SUTHER- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Win dow Provision-Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In small tenements, especially in apartment houses in the city in which the rooms in the suite are few in number and small and the family desires to provide its own meals, there are insufficient accommodations for storing the provisions, and especially no suitable accommodation for a refrigerator, and the occupants of the tenement frequently resort to various devices, such as a shelf or box or other means to be set outside of the window, to contain the food as it will be better preserved in the outside atmosphere than within the room. Any such contrivances heretofore used so far as is known to me have not been convenient of access or have been left in a position that is unsightly from within the room.

The main object of my invention is to provide a provision holder so constructed and so hung from the window that it may readily be swung down practically out of view from the interior of the room and without interfering with the operation of the window or the blinds and which, when it is desired to gain access to the food box to put in or remove articles, can be swung up onto the window sill or seat where access is readily gained and without disturbing the equilibrium of the contents during the movement of the holder in swinging it in either direction.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features are pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a device embodying the invention attached to a window sill and rest ing in its lowermost position. Fig. 2 shows the box turned up on its hinge and open. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the box and 'case'on line '3-3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a cross-section .on line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a modification, the box being in its lowermost position. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the box in its uppermost position.

In the preferred form of construction, the provision box is journaled in an inclosing case which is hinged on one edge.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 1 to 4:, A is an outside case for the food-box B and may be of any suitable size and shape, but in the form shown and that which I prefer it is made oblong, the under side preferably being curved in cross-section so that as viewed in cross-section the casing will be somewhat U-shaped. The curved form, however, is not essential. Preferably also the case is provided with a cover 1 hinged to the upper edge of the outer wall so that the case may be entirely. closed when desired as would be usually the case. A food-box B, which is open on one side, is journaled in bearings in the two ends 2, 3, of the case A in such manner that the box B will freely turn within the case or rather so that the case can be swung with relation to the box. In the form of construction shown, which is a simple form, the box B is thus journaled within the case by means of the two short pins or studs 4 which project from the box and are journaled in bearings 15 in the ends 2, 3, of the case, so that the box B will swing freely on the pins 4 as pivots. Preferably roller bearings are provided. The box should be readily removable, so that the box B can be removed from the case when desired for the purpose of cleaning. In order to enable it to be readily removed I prefer to form the bear, ings 15 segmental in form so as to afford a throat 16 through which the journals may pass to enable the box to be lifted from the bearings.

The box B is preferably provided with shelves and partitions dividing it into compartments to receive the articles of food, and the box is closed on all sides except the front. The shelves or partitions forming the compartments may be disposed in any way desired as in an ordinary refrigerator. As shown in the drawings, the box is formed with two vertical partitions 5, 6, and one horizontal partition 7, thus making four compartments, the horizontal partition 7 serving as a shelf and the lower side of the box serving as a bottom for each of the other compartments.

The purpose of having the box B hung on pivots somewhat as trunnions within the case A is so that if the case A is turned u p on one edge, the box B will be self-leveling and will, therefore, always malntain such position that the shelves will remain horizontal, so that the contents Wlll not be thrown out or slide around. In order to make sure of maintainin this horizontal position, the box should e hung a little above the center of gravity. If the pivots are midway between the top and bottom of the box, the lower half of the box should be somewhat heavier than the upper half. This may be accomplished by weighting the lower half in any suitable way, either by so placing the shelves as to bring the weight on the under side of the pivot or by weighting the bottom of the box. I prefer to do th1s by weighting the bottom of the box. For this purpose I have provided a weight 17 as shown on the bottom of the box.

In order to support the case I provide a bracket C which is to be attached to the window sill D and to which the case A is hung in such manner that the case may be retained down below the window sill except when desired to gain access thereto and may be swung up onto the window sill when it is desired to gain access thereto. Any suitable form of bracket and hinge connection may be employed. The preferred and sim ple form of construction which I have shown consists in forming the bracket with an intermediate horizontal longitudinal portion 8 having at the ends of said intermediate portion arms 9 at right angles thereto which together with the intermediate portion 8 rest upon the top of the window sill and are fastened thereto as by screws 10. The bracket has two downwardly extending arms 11 which bear against the outer face of the window sill, each terminating in an outwardly extending portion 12 which serves as a bottom rest for the bottom of the case A. These arms 11, with the extending portions 12, are shaped to fit the front and bottom of the case A so as to properly support the 7 same. If the bottom of the case A is curved as described, the arms 11 and their extensions 12 should preferably be curved to correspond. The bracket is formed with a rod 13 extending lengthwise thereof slightly above the top of the window sill, preferably formed by extending upwardly the arms 11, on which the case A is hung. The means for hanging the case on this rod 13 as shown consists of providing the upper edge of the front of the case with a flange 14 turned outwardly and bent over in hook form which will engage with the upper edge of the rod 13, thereby serving as a hanger by which the case is hung on the rod 13, the

7 bottom of the case resting on the curved extension arms 12 as previously described. When hung in this manner, the case may easlly be lifted off of the bracket and removed therefrom if desired, but in ordinary use when it is desired to gain access to the interior of the refrigerator, the case A will be swung up on the rod 13 until it is turned through a quarter circle into the position shown in Fig. 2 when the hinged cover 1, instead of being in ahorizontal position, will be in a Vertical position, so that when the cover is opened the open portion of the case will face toward the front, that is, toward the interior of the room. On account of the box B being constructedand hung so as to be self-leveling as described, when the case is swung up as just mentioned, the box B although it is carried with the case will still stand with the shelves all in a horizontal position and articles may be removed or replaced. The cover will then be closed and the case swung down into its normal position of rest upon the bracket. The hinge rod 13 should project above the edge of the window sill only just enough to allow for the swinging of the case on the hinge 13- that is, the clearance space between the top of the sill and the under side of the hinge rod 13 will be but slightly more than the thickness of the material of the hook 14 so that it does not interfere with the opening I or closing of the blinds and the only portion exposed to the interior of the room will be the hinge rod 13.

Preferably a ventilator 20 is provided for the food box.

Instead of having the food box journaled In said modification the I,

the downwardly extending arms 19. By

swinging up the arms 19 the box will be brought up onto the window sill without turning the box out of plumb.

While I have especially intended the device for use as a provision holder, it is obvious that it may be used for other purposes, and it is not intended herein to limit the scope of the claims to the particular use for which the device is employed.

What I claim is 1. A box, a bracket adapted to be secured to a window sill and having a box holder hinged thereto which is adapted to normally hold said box in a position below the window sill and which is adapted to beturned up on its hinge carrying the box with it, said box being journaled in said holder whereby the holder is permitted to turn without rotating the box and means for retaining the box in a plumb position during the movement of the box holder.

2. A box, a bracket adapted to be secured to a window sill and having a box holder hinged thereto which is adapted to normally hold said box in a position below the window sill and which is adapted to be turned up on its hinge carrying the box with it, said box being journaled in said holder whereby the holder is permitted to turn without rotating the box, said box being journaled to as to hang plumb during the swinging of the case.

4. An outer case having a top cover, a box inclosed within said case and journaled in the ends of the case in such manner that the case may be rotated with relation to said box, a bracket adapted to be fixed to a support and to which the front of said case is hinged along its upper front edge whereby the case may be swung on its hinge to bring the covered top into a substantially vertical position and means for maintaining the inclosed box in a level position during the movement of the case on its hinge.

5. An outer case, a supporting bracket having a rod to which said case is hinged on one edge thereof, whereby the case may be partially revolved on its hinge and a box inclosed within the case and journaled in the ends of the case so that when the case is revolved on its hinge the box may be carried with the case, the box being j ournaled above its center of gravity whereby the box will hang plumb during the swinging movement of the case.

6. A window provision holder having an outer case, a supporting bracket having a rod to which said case is hinged on one edge thereof, whereby the case may be partially revolved on its hinge and a food-box inclosed within the case and journaled in the ends of the case so that when the case is revolved on its hinge the food-box may be carried with the case, the food-box being journaled above its center of gravity whereby the food-box will hang plumb during the swinging movement of the case, said foodbox being removable from the case and the case being removable from the hinge rod of the bracket.

7. A window provision holder having an outer case, a supporting bracket having a rod to which said case is hinged on one edge thereof, whereby the case may be partially revolved on its hinge and a food-box inclosed within the case and journaled in the ends of the case so that when the case is revolved on its hinge the food-box may be carried with the case, the food-box being journaled above its center of gravity whereby the food-box will hang plumb during the swinging movement of the case, said bracket consisting of a rod bent to form an intermediate portion which rests upon the sill of the window and is adapted to be secured thereto, downwardly hanging arms extending from said intermediate portion and adapted to bear against the front of the sill and terminating in outwardly projecting arms which form a seat for the bottom of the case and a horizontal rod connected with said intermediate body portion rising slightly above the window sill and forming a hinge pin for the case.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED W. SUTHERLAND.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. COPELAND, ALICE H. MORRISON. 

